1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to mechanical guns and projectors, and more particularly to electrical trigger or releasing mechanisms designed for archery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of archery, a bow has a frame or body that might, for exemplary purposes, comprise a flexible piece of wood or fiber composite. A string spans some portion of the frame. Traditional bow frames may be simple single pieces of wood that are relatively straight or slightly curved, and then bent further under the tension of a string extending generally from tip to tip. The bending of the wood provides a force opposed to the string tension. When the string is drawn, the wood flexes, with the wood acting as a simple spring. Consequently, as the string is drawn, the tension in the string increases progressively. This type of bow, which is still well known and used today, may typically require relatively great draw force. Further, holding the bow at full draw can require great strength and endurance.
There have been many types of bows that have been developed since the advent of the first straight bows, including recurve bows, reflex bows, decurve bows, deflex bows, and the much more recent compound bows. Likewise, there have been many materials used in the fabrication of bows over the years, including but not limited to wood, metal, laminates, and composites. These bows may be designed to have different draw forces and draw lengths. The draw force may range from only a few pounds for a small child's bow to one or even several hundred pounds for very powerful and specialty bows.
A common requirement among many of the bows is the need to manually grasp the bow string when drawing the string, and then to release the string to shoot the arrow. The relatively large draw forces and the relatively small diameter bow string combine to stress the relatively softer and more tender finger tips of the archer, particularly where a bow must be drawn and held for longer time periods. Archers through time have commonly employed various finger coverings such as leather to reduce the direct wear, abrasion, and disruption of circulation in their fingers.
Further, the release of the arrow has also been a form of art. A clean string release will allow the arrow to travel straight and true. However, if the archer slides the string sideways during release, the arrow flight may be slightly distorted, making the shot direction less predictable, reliable, and repeatable.
One slightly divergent technology is that of the crossbow, which addresses several of the challenges that archers may have with other bow types. One advantage of a crossbow is that there is typically some type of nut or other apparatus that is used to hold and eventually release the string. This means that the archer may hold the shot indefinitely without physical fatigue. Further, there is no abrasion to the fingers. In addition, when properly designed, a bolt, arrow, or other projectile will predictably release from the string, since the archer does not directly grasp the string.
Another challenge faced by archers is commonly referred to as target anxiety. This target anxiety may be manifested by an archer flinching or moving just as the string is being released, leading to inaccurate shots. Target anxiety can affect even the most highly skilled and experienced archers.
Over the years, a number of highly skilled artisans have devised various apparatus to effect better holding and release of the bow string. Exemplary mechanical devices, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 2,977,952 by Gabriel et al, entitled “Archery bow trigger”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,774 by Troncoso, entitled “Archery bow string release device”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,752 by Barner, entitled “Combined bowstring draw and trigger release mechanism for use in archery”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,703 by Cunningham, Sr., entitled “Bow string trigger release mechanism”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,945 by Carlton, entitled “Archery trigger release mechanism”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,516 by Peck, entitled “Adjustable grip and trigger bow string release”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,710 by Summers et al, entitled “Archery finger trigger release with cocking slide”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,957 by Clark, entitled “Release device for archery”; and 2013/0174820 by Jones, entitled “Archery release”. One of the significant challenges of a string release is the desire for a minimum movement by the archer, with minimal force applied, to effect the string release. While the aforementioned patents represent a significant advancement over the technology in place prior thereto, these prior art mechanical systems simply do not offer sufficiently minimal force and movement by the archer.
Recognizing the need for an improved string release, a few artisans have designed electrical solenoid string releases. Exemplary patents, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,469 by Peck, entitled “Bow string release”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,957 by Neilson, entitled “Archery apparatus”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,023 by Kolak, entitled “Bow string releasing apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,269 by Harklau, entitled “Bowstring release mechanism”. Two additional patents, illustrating electrically driven releases but without a solenoid, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,467 by Siegfried, entitled “Bowstring release mechanism”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,794 by Bently, entitled “Device for hands-free firing of projectile device”.
Many of the prior art releases have a pivoting member that is locked in place prior to release, and then allowed to rotate freely upon release. Unfortunately, with the substantial force and rapid movement of the bow string, this can and often does lead to a slapping or slamming of the pivotal member when it reaches a stop or rotary limit. Exemplary of the prior art is the Peck '469 patent incorporated by reference herein above. In Peck, the sear 22 has a “j” shape, and pivots about pin 24. When plunger 26 is moved out of the way, sear 22 will rotate with violent force. Not only is this additional sound undesirable, since it can forewarn and thereby spook game, it can lead to undesirable wear and damage of the apparatus over a relatively short period.
Another issue is the relatively large force that is applied by the string to the release. This force will be coupled through linkages that, under load, may bind or wear excessively. Once again, the Peck '469 patent incorporated by reference herein above is exemplary of the prior art. On the longer finger 20 of Peck's sear 22, the bow string will be pulling. This force is offset by a force between the shorter leg of Peck's sear 22 and plunger 26. As may be recognized, this causes significant friction between Peck's sear 22 and plunger 26, the friction making it harder to release plunger 26 and also leading to galling and wear of both Peck's sear 22 and plunger 26. Similar deficiency is found in both Harklau and Kolak.
Further, many of these prior art devices are not automatically resetting. Again referencing the Peck design, the archer must activate the solenoid, pivot the sear 22 into place around the spring, and then release the solenoid. This resetting sequence is an undesirable, unnecessary and challenging test of manual dexterity. Once again, similar deficiency is found in both Harklau and Kolak.
Neilson in FIGS. 13-15 illustrates a different type of string release, using a solenoid and cam to wedge between two pivoting arms. This causes the arms to either open when not wedged, or close when wedged by the solenoid cam. Unfortunately, the greater the draw force, the more likely the string is to accidentally release. Further, not only are manufacturing tolerances an issue, so is wear to the various components, which will worsen the ability of the device to hold a bow string. Consequently, Neilson has the potential for accidental and unintended releases that can be very dangerous in the field.
In addition to the foregoing patents, Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition copyright 1983, is incorporated herein by reference in entirety for the definitions of words and terms used herein.